Snow Snake

[Silvertree]

A chilly interpretation of BPAL’s Snake Oil: sweet, spiced musk

with a crunch of snow and frost-hardened patchouli.
 

[Nepthys]

When I first applied this, my heart sank -- it smelled exactly like Smut, which does not work on me. But I gave it a chance and within about 20 minutes, it shifted to something less rank and more like a pungent musk covered with frost.

 

About 30 minutes after that, it smelled like snow-covered earth. And that's how it has stayed.

 

I like it but it's not my favorite of the snowy Yules. I'll probably use this as a ritual scent since it doesn't work well for me.

[starbrow]

Not what I was expecting!

 

Both in bottle and on skin, I get primarily a dirty musk (remembering the descriptions of Smut as "swarthy, sweaty musks" really pings a mood) and something...scratchy. Ay yi yi. BALSAM. MY ENEMY. This thorny, prickly, ornery wood has INVADED Snow Snake and corrupted it into something dangerous indeed. I was not expecting balsam from the description! This smells like tolu balsam to me, not balsam fir btw, but I suppose it does give a chilly evergreen landscape.

 

Speaking of chilly...the snow/frost element here seems to have a eucalyptus component. It's herbal and mentholic, definitely not poofy and coconutty-sweet like Snow White. In my opinion, Snow Snake is NOT a mashup of Snake Oil and Snow White. There is almost nothing sweet about Snow Snake. Even the sweet-spicy sugared vanilla of OG Snake Oil is blanketed almost entirely by the snarly balsam and eucalyptus. I will be curious to see if future aging will bring out more of Snake Oil's characteristic vanilla. That would be a welcome balancing effect for my taste!

 

If you get along well with balsam and snow notes like The Flame of the Bear, this is a slam dunk! If you're expecting Frostbitten Snake Oil, this might be a shock. I'm still not sure if I enjoy Snow Snake, because I will have to learn to love the balsam in it. If I can do that, and maybe layer with some Snake Oil or vanilla successfully in the  meantime, I'm definitely willing to age this baby and see where it goes.

 

I would wear this while: suffering through a heatwave in January (thanks Florida) and dreaming of cold snowy snarly winters.

 

 

[Poenari]

I'm very happy with this variation of Snake Oil. Nothing will replace the OG for me, but this one is a lovely take on it. Snow White is not one that I can wear... I've tried many different vintages of it over the years, and each one shrieks into my sinuses and needs to be scrubbed off within a half hour. Not so with the addition to Snake Oil! Firstly, I was surprised that it's a gentler Snake Oil, not as prominent as in the recent Bobbing for Snakes, which I massively love. But the snow note is lovely when blended here... It adds a frosty chill without irritating my sinuses. I am glad that I blind bottled this one. It's a worthy addition to my Snake Oil collection. I haven't tried it for sleep yet, but I plan to. 

[MamaMoth]

the comparisons to smut hit the nail on the head for me as well. it comes on strong with that same kind of raunchy, floral-toned red musk vibe.  it does settle some after a bit of time on the skin, and some creamy white sweetness rises up through the musk fug.  for a time i feel like that floral-y red musk is pulling out and amping the white florals from the snow white component (my least favorite part of snow white, unfortunately.)  although i recognize elements from each, i can't confidently identify either the snake oil or the snow white.

hours later, where this eventually ends up for me is something like extra creamy snake oil (ish) + fresh smut. fresh smut is not great on me, but it ages into something i really enjoy.  similarly, this one is not coming together for me right now.  but i'm feeling like it might, with some time to mature. into the cellar with you, lil snek.

[AbbyNormal]

I’m not familiar with Smut and I’m not getting anything chilly with Snow Snake, but I am picking up a candied fruitiness that really reminds me of Shango, which I absolutely love. It’s not at all what I was expecting but I’m all for an accidental Shango Snake. 
 

*ETA*
This stuff has some serious staying power. The hoodie that I was wearing when I posted this almost a month ago STILL smells strongly of snow Snake, and I’ve been wearing it off an on while wearing other oils. This Snek is going strong! 

Edited February 13, 2023 by AbbyNormal

[dancingchair]

I definitely get a floral red musk. I haven't smelled Snow White before so I'm not sure if some of the florals are from that? Wet, I get sweet white florals pushing up through the snow. As this dries, it becomes more musky. If I sniff really close to my wrist, I get a whiff of smoky incense.

 

I can really see the comparison to Smut, there's a lot of musk here. Smut was more indolic to me than this is, but maybe the Snake Oil is tempering that. It reminds me more of The Red Ribbon from last year's Shungas because it has a similar sweet red musk without being indolic. Maybe as it ages the Snake will come out more? I was hoping for coconut and pine Snake Oil when I nabbed this and it's not that. I like it, though, and I'm interested to see how it ages.

[doomsday_disco]

I'm getting an unlisted palo santo note (I was like, it smells minty and almost licorice-y but not? Oh, it's the Lab's palo santo! The same one found in TAL Security Blanket and TAL Soft Reboot). It is the most prominent aspect of the scent on me for the first few hours of wear, swirled with the chilly, creamy Snow White and just a hint of Snake Oil's patchouli and some musk. I do not get Snake Oil's spices and vanilla from this, and it is very snake oil lite on me. It's called Snow Snake, but to me, it is Palo Santo Snow White.

 

It is vastly different from Frostbitten Snake Oil, so you can own both without worrying about them being too similar.

 

I don't dislike this, but it is not what I was expecting. I'm going to set it aside for a month and retest after it has had more time to settle. Hopefully the snek will slither out by then.

[HerbGirl]

Snake Smut. ??? There was a fleeting moment of Snow White that ran screaming from Smut, I suppose. Very interesting how so many of the oils over the past year have been 'not what I expected to smell based on the notes'. Frustrating.

[Llanval]

Came here to agree with HerbGirl, lol. I have no idea what is in this bottle, but I have a tough time smelling anything other than a light whiff of what might be Snake Oil and a sweet musk.  There is no extra patchouli in here. No snow. And if Snow White is in here, I can't smell it for the sweet musk and maybe Snake Oil. For the first half hour/hour, it smells more like a grape/candy scratch n sniff sticker from the 90s, or a toy box filled with sweet smelling old toys. After two hours, it smells more like A Place of Seeing than anything I would have called Snow Snake, so that's the only reason I'm not slapping this bottle on the sales page immediately.

 

I really have to agree with HerbGirl here. I have had quite a few bottles this year simply not smell at all like the notes listed and it is getting really really hard to continue taking risks on bottles. Whether it's multiple under filled bottles in each order, mislabeled bottles or wonky notes, things haven't felt 'normal' since the beginning of 2022. I hope things even out soon.

[Pris]

Sweet and sultry. I can't put my finger on the sweet, dusty note, something like cotton candy, with a hint of pine. It's comforting, tasty. I could wear this every day!

[Little Bird]

Wearing this for the first time was an odd experience because I was like, "This isn't Snake Oil.  This isn't Snow White.  This is a hint of frost and a deeper, better version of Smut because it's sweeter and richer and not quite Smut either?"  I get odd undertones to it over the hours, like a hint of rubber the first couple hours and then a hint of play-doh in the later stages.  It has a warm, toasted quality to it.  Toasted, deepened red musk?  I don't think that I can smell Snow White's vanilla tones until several hours in, but it does have a persistent sweetness and a very thick, sweet, darker red muskiness and warmth.  The new version of Snake Oil has a noticeable patchouli and dark, resinous vibes in it, but this does not ever smell like patchouli or specifically Snake Oil on me.  There's a hint of actual, icy frost note on me at first, but it fades quickly.

This is such a strong, heavy scent.  I feel like it wears me a bit even when I put on a small dab.  Intense, deep, dark, sweet musk.  I have a couple decants of this now and am wondering if I should just buy a bottle.  I really enjoy darker, sweeter leaning red musks and this is certainly that.

[trinitysite]

No snow, all Snake Oil! I truly can't tell the difference between this one and regular Snake Oil - maybe a little vanilla or something right when I put it on, but that vanishes right away.

[ghoulnextdoor]

 I’ve countless times alluded to the sugared vanilla incense patchoulified potency of Snake Oil, how I adore it, how it’s a massively swoony scent –but the key word there is “massive.” There is no such thing as applying a “little bit” of Snake Oil; even a scant droplet is probably too much. I’ve not yet encountered a combination that can tame its monstrous throw…until they paired it with the wintry shivers of their snow, frost, and ice notes. Imagine Snake Oil’s narcotic slithers relentlessly winding their way up your nose, but then envision those heady slitherations crystalizing into the magic of spiraling frozen undulations, blanketed in the cold and hibernating, snake-charmed, chilled out.

[zankoku_zen]

Vanilla musk and snow. If either is your jam, or combined together, that's what I got. Medium throw and wear length.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Vanilla snow and patchouli. 

 

Dry: Not getting much of a Snake Oil vibe. This is like a cold vanilla musk with some patchouli thrown in. It's not what I expected, but I like it enough to keep my decant.